Love in the Time of Tomorrow

Chapter 3: A Burning

Battling with reader expectation is the hardest part of telling a story. I have the idea for my own plot, but my readers all expect something else will happen or should happen. It's an endless battle. But who cares, please enjoy the first chapter of 2018. Please enjoy Chapter 3!

Chapter 3

A Burning

There were mutters all around. Confused stares peppered the entire stadium, zeroed in on the point where Ash had gathered with Diantha and the other Champions. Diantha's forfeit had certainly seemed to set everyone on edge, and despite all of Kalas' attempts to calm the crowd down, no one was really listening. They were too busy being confused, unless one counted those in the more knowledgeable crowd, such as Astrid and Alain, already standing from their seats and swiftly making their way downward.

Ash, however, was still reeling from the shock of the statement.

"Maybe...maybe you're just confused..." he voiced quietly, before he could even stop himself. He knew it was likely a delusion to be saying that, but there had to be some hope that ARC and Nova Town were okay. His mind flashed back, so many years, to the report he'd seen on the bombing of the League. This felt different, though, because here, people's lives were more at stake...completely innocent people.

"There's no confusion," Lance muttered out. Ash's fists clenched, not liking to hear those words. All of the confusion in the stadium was reaching a new, feverish pitch at this point, making their small meeting suddenly become acutely prominent to everyone that was there. Cynthia noticed this the most.

"I think we should move this conversation elsewhere. Alder, can you inform Kalas to get a move on with the battles? Find some way to smooth things over," the Sinnoh Champion said with a light pat to his back. The fiery-haired man was frowning, looking like he wasn't happy about any of this, but he nodded and stood, bustling his way through the crowd. Ash watched him go, but soon moved his vision along to the others from the crowd, on the move.

"Uh, well, it seems Champion Diantha has forfeited the match, leaving Ash Ketchum as the winner," Kalas called out with a chuckle. The crowd there wasn't as happy or accepting of this simple answer, regardless of the fact that it was the truth. Ash could hear it in all of their mutterings and curse words. They wanted to know why. There was a sudden screeching sound from the microphone, as though Alder had reached his destination.

Ash began to turn away, to follow after all those that were clustered in worried discussion, now leaving the stadium as swiftly as they could. Diantha was already down the hallway from the field as her fellow Champions were moving out of the stands. Ash turned back before entering, himself, catching sight of Paul standing there, his forehead scrunched in discernment. His rival must have seen something in his eyes, Ash figured, else he wouldn't have turned away with his usual laconic attitude and start walking from the stands.

"Hey, everyone! No reason for concern!" Alder's voice boomed out with his usual jubilance. The crowd seemed to settle down at his voice, though Ash could hear the small edge in the man's voice that the usually oblivious Unova Champion typically didn't have. "It's just a little thing. Diantha's Gardevoir was still damaged from her amazing battle with me yesterday. Rather than risk more damage, she called the match off! You know how these high tier battles can be!"

"In-indeed we do, Champion Alder!" Kalas agreed, removing his stuttering to instill confidence back into the crowd. "I'm sure Gardevoir will be healed up sooner than later."

"Ha ha, of course!" Alder agreed, the sound from the commentator's box making it sound like he was slapping Kalas' back, and rather violently at that. "The other Champions want to make sure everything's all right with one of their own, but while they do, let's get a move on with the second round!"